Apparatus for annealing glassware



V. MULHOLLAND APPARATUS FOR ANNEALING GLASSWARE Filed August 27, 1925 May 11 1926.

In men tor A forney.

Patented May 11, 1926.

rte STATES VP VERGIL MULHOLLAND, OF WEST HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR- TO HART- FORD-EMPIRE COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A I CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

APPARATUS FOR enuuamne ennsswann.

Application filedeugust 27, 1925. Serial No. 52,752.

This invention relates to apparatus for annealing glassware, and it has particular relation to lehrs of the tunnel type, through which articles of glassware are transported by an endless conveyor, and in which they are subjected to varying temperature environments, in order to relieve stresses and strains that may exist in the ware or that may develop therein after their .removal from the molds of a shaping machine.

One of the objects of the present invention is to improve upon the conveyors employed in lehrs of the character described, by providing an endless conveyor, the lateral edges of which extend without the heated tunnel and towhich the driving chalns are secured where they will not be subject to the high temperature of the tunnel and where they will be conveniently accessible for replace ment or repair.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view, partly in side elevation and partly in vertical longitudinal section, of a lehr embodying the invention t Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse sectional viewthrough the lower portion of the tunnel illustrating the location of the conveyor driving chains relativeto the tunnel; and

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fra mentary side clevation of the conveyor any a driving chain.

Referring to the drawing:

A lehr constructed according to the in vention is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1 as comprising a tunnel A; a plurality of heating fines 13 extending longitudinally beneath the tunnel; a plurality of cooling flues C extending longitudinally above the tunnel; a fire box D located beneath the re ceiving end of the tunnel and communicating with the heating flues B a draft-producing device E such as a suction fan, located above the discharge end of thetu'nnel and com-- municating with both the heating flues B and the cooling flues C; an endless conveyor F the ware-bearing stand ofwliich traverses the tunnel and the idle strand of which returns to the receiving end of the tunnel beneath the lehr, and a conveyor driving mech anism G.

The tunnel A comprises a plurality of sections 1 arranged in end-to-end relation and supported by a frame work 2. Each of the sections 1 comprises a bottom 3, side walls t and a top 5. The bottoms 3 consist of a plurality of shell-like members (Fig.2) pref erably of cast iron, which arearranged in side-by-side relation to form the heating fines B. These members are formed with corrugated upper andlower surfaces 7 and 8, respectively, in order to provide relatively great heat radiating surfaces in proportion to their width and to reduce the area of contact with the bottom of the conveyor.

The members 6 are supported by a plurality of T-bars 9 carried by the frame work 2 and their sides and bottoms are surrounded. -by a powdered insulatin material 10 con I w n b n tamed in a sheet metal casing 11.

The side walls 4 comprise a sheet metal casing 12 containing a powdered insulating material 13 and are supported in spaced re1ation to thebottom 3 by longitudinally extending Z bars 14 which are secured to the casing 11 and project outwardly therefrom. The inner faces of the Walls 4 are formed with a plurality of vertical corrugations 13 which gives increased heat radiating surface and tends to make a uniform temperature transversely of the tunnel.

The top 5 of the tunnel may be of any preferred heat-insulated construction, for example, such as that disclosed in my copending application Serial No. 33,977, filed June so i 1, 1925, and is covered by heat-insulating material 15.

The fire box D comprises a combustion chamber 16 which communicates with the forward ends of the heating flues B through a damper-controlled passageway 17. The

heated gases from the fire box D and the cooling air from the outer atmosphere are the-tunnel adjacent to the rear or exit end thereof. This fan communicates with 'a wind box 19 which, in turn, eonnnunicates with the fines B through vertical branchv pipes 20 disposed one on each side of the tunnel.

The wind box a wind pipe 21 which extends longitudinally 19 also communicates withabove thetunnpl and which communicates 7/ with the cooling fiiies O at intervals through flues in regulable quantities whereby the gases therein may be diluted and cooled at the desired points and in the proper amounts to-obtain the required temperature drop in the tunnel.

The conveyor F comprises a plurality of flat woven wire mats or pans 2A which are slidably supported upon the floor of the tunnel and which extend laterally beneath the side walls where they are connected to gether by side sprocket chains 25. These chains ride upon the horizontal portions of the 2 bars 14, which constitute tracks therefor, and are driven by the driving mechanism G. This mechanism consists of a drum 27 which is mounted on a shaft 28 and around which the several pans pass and side sprocket wheels 29 which drive the chains 25. The mechanism G is actuated from any suitable source of power through a gear wheel 30, shaft 31, worm 32 and worm gear 33 which latter is fixed to the shaft 28.

The idle strand of the conveyor F is supported beneath the lehr by rails 34 carried y the framework 2.

The ware is prevented from engaging the stationary side walls and from becoming displaced from the conveyor during its passage through the tunnel by side angle members 35 which are also preferably constructed of woven wire fabric and which are secured to the outer edges of the pans 24 by .mea'ns of angle plates 86.

The illustrated embqitliment of the invention may be modified in construction and arrangement without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in cheappended claims. 5

I claim:

1. A glass annealing lehr comprising a tunnel having a bottom, a flexible endless conveyor having its ware-bearing strand extending through said tunnel and in contact with said bottom, a sprocket chain secured to each edge of-said conveyor, and mechanism for driving said chains.

2. A glass annealinglehr comprising a tunnel having a bottom, aflexible endless conveyor of woven wire fabric having its ware-bearing strand extending through said tunnel and in contact with said bottom, a sprocket chain secured to each edge ofsaid conveyor, and a drivingmechanism for saith conveyor including sprocket wheels for engagczncnt with said chains.

3. A glass anne'aaling lehr comprising a tunnel having a metallic bottom, a flexible strand extending through said tunnel and in contact with said bottom,a sprocket chain secured to each'edge of said conveyor, and a driving mechanism for said conveyor including sprocket wheels for engagement with said chains.

4. A glass annealing lehr comprising a tunnel, a conveyor fortransporting glassware through said tunnel and having the side edges thereof extending laterally without said tunnel, a sprocket chain secured to each edge of said conveyor, and mechanism for driving said chains. i

5. A glass annealing lehr comprising a tunnel having a bottom, a conveyor for transporting glassware through said tunnel,

said conveyor having its ware-bearing portlon supported directly by the bottom of the tunnel and having its edge portions extend' ing without the tunnel, a sprocket chain secured to each edge of said conveyor, and a driving mechanism for 'said conveyor including sprocket wheels engaging said chains.

6. A glass an'nealing lehr comprising a tunnel having the said walls spaced from the bottom thereof, a conveyor for transporting glassware through said tunnel and having its side edges extending beneath said tunnel walls, a sprocket chain secured to each edge of said conveyor, and a driving mechanism for said conveyor including sprocket wheels engaging said/ chains.

7. A glass annealing lehr comprising a tunnel, a conveyor for transporting glassware through said tunnel and having the side edges thereof extending laterally without the tunnel, sprocket chains carried by the side edges of said conveyor, a track mountede'xteriorly of said tunnel adapted to support said chains, and a driving mechanism for said conveyor including sprocket wheels engaging said chains.

8.'A glass annealing lehr comprising a tunnel having a bottom, side walls and top, a support extending longitudinally along each side of said tunnel and exteriorly thereof and adapted to support said side walls in spaced relation to said bottom, a conveyor for transporting glassware through said tunnel and having the edge portions extending laterally beneath said side walls, a sprocket chain secured to said side edges of said conveyor and carried by said support, and a driving mechanism for said conveyor including sprocket wheels for engagement with said chains.

9. A glass annealing lehr comprising a tunnel having a bottom, side walls and top, a conveyor for transporting glassware through said tunnel consisting of a plurality of'pans mounted to slide on the bottom of said. tunnel and having their side edges extending without the tunnel between the endiiH- ri ronvoyolfl having its ware-bearing bottom and walls thereof, chains connecting 10. A glass annealing lehr comprisinga tunnel having a bottom, side Walls and top, a conveyor for transporting glassware through said tunnel consisting of a plurality of pans of open work structurehaving their ware-bearing portions supported throughout their length and breadth by the' bottom of said tunnel and having their side edges extending without the tunnel between the bottom and Walls thereof, chains con- 'necting the outer edges of said pans. and

means for driving said chains to advance the conveyor through said tunnel.

11. A glass annealing lehr comprising a -tunnel having a metallic bottom, side Walls spaced'above and laterally beyond said bot tom, 2 bars for supporting said walls, a conveyor for transporting ware through said tunnel ancl consisting of a plurality of pans having their edges projecting beneath said side walls, and chains connecting said pans and riding. on said Z bars.

Signed at Hartford, Connecticut, this 25th day of August, 1925. a

VERGIL MULHOLLA ND. 

